My heart is sore. The list of reasons why is long. I am tired. And truly sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. I salute #blacklivesmatter and the conscious people of this nation for ensuring that everyone knows their names and honors them with a call for justice.
And then: Fermin Vincent Valenzuela, Vinson Ramos, MelissaVentura, Anthony Nuñez, Pedro Villanueva and Raul Saavedra-Vargas- all killed at the hands of police between July 3 and 9th. Few people know their names. But I offer them my prayers for peace, and pray that Melissa Ventura’s two month old baby finds comfort and protection in this life.
And Dallas. Lives are lives. And all life is precious. What the f*ck happened in Dallas?
According to the media and the FBI, there was a Lone Ranger- Micah Johnson- who many of us still wonder about.
Did he even exist? If he did, how did a war-torn veteran likely suffering from PTSD from both his experiences as a soldier and as a black man in America, become the burden of a grieving black America? I wonder about this, especially. Then I wonder if he bought his dashiki and AK-47 on the same day? If he did, how does America feel about its first drone attack on a civilian? Will robots and explosives become a standard response to armed gunmen? Or will that response be reserved for black U.S. veterans and peaceful protestors?
I wonder. Things that make you go, hmmm, America. Who knows?
I wonder. Things that make you go, hmmm, America. Who knows?
What I do know is that the world has changed. Not because black and brown bodies litter the American landscape. Not even because technology and social media have allowed live streams of this reign of terror. But because more than ever- at least in my life time- it has become okay to kill, desecrate the dead, and then torment the grieving. It has changed because the grieving must defend themselves before- or instead of processing their grief. And because a four year old girl has been forced to witness a lynching, and console her mother while she broadcasts it live on Facebook.
In other news, the FBI issues an ISIS warning to Puerto Rico suggesting increased surveillance, just as the island prepares to enact a colonial edict (Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA Bill/HR 4900) which will secure a whole $4.25 hour for minimum wage workers under the age of 25. 200,000 young people will be forced to live on this. But I digress. (Or do I?)
What we are witnessing is the dawn of a new America. Or American hate 2.0, depending at how you look at it. Open season has been declared on the most marginalized and vulnerable. And hate has been emboldened.
But as we grieve and rage, we must also remember to plant seeds that will help us to grow and resist together. We must remember our humanity. We must take care of ourselves and each other. And all people who recognize the horrific burden of injustice, inequity, and racial violence, must stand for each other. We mustn't allow our energy and efforts to be diverted.
But as we grieve and rage, we must also remember to plant seeds that will help us to grow and resist together. We must remember our humanity. We must take care of ourselves and each other. And all people who recognize the horrific burden of injustice, inequity, and racial violence, must stand for each other. We mustn't allow our energy and efforts to be diverted.
Let's use what energy we have to educate and organize. Wherever we can. Connect the dots. Explore the intersections. Give the people who lack information but have the will to do something good (even a little something), something good to do.
Let us invest in building relationships with the people who have the power to do their little bit of something wherever they are. And stop the oppression Olympics. Some of the things I see across media feeds are sad, disheartening, and downright scary.
Can we grieve for black America and the LGBTWIA community in Orlando at once? Can we stand for Native Americans, Latinx, and immigrants while we stand for black men, woman, and children?
Of course we can.
Can we grieve for black America and the LGBTWIA community in Orlando at once? Can we stand for Native Americans, Latinx, and immigrants while we stand for black men, woman, and children?
Of course we can.
This is a pivotal moment for #blacklivesmatter and Black people in this country. We should hold that up, always. AND we should connect the dots.
#blacklivesmatter has been a gift to many movements and peoples in this country precisely because they have been rendered invisible. #blacklivesmatter has been a beacon of courage and resistance in the face of extreme oppression and violence, for black people and all people who live under the threat of the gun.
It is why messages of solidarity have reached American soil from Turkey, the UK, Palestine, Puerto Rico, across Africa,
and every corner of this Earth.
Whether you have been living with these conditions for 500 years (Native Americans, statistically most likely to be killed by law enforcement compared to any other group in the nation), or are a newly arrived here and trying to understand how to move- and survive- in this crazy system, #blacklivesmatter represents an opening to be heard and seen. #blacklivesmatter represents a collective demand for the human right to live without the threat of racial violence or hatred, and the right to resist in the face of it.
#blacklivesmatter has been a gift to many movements and peoples in this country precisely because they have been rendered invisible. #blacklivesmatter has been a beacon of courage and resistance in the face of extreme oppression and violence, for black people and all people who live under the threat of the gun.
It is why messages of solidarity have reached American soil from Turkey, the UK, Palestine, Puerto Rico, across Africa,
and every corner of this Earth.
Whether you have been living with these conditions for 500 years (Native Americans, statistically most likely to be killed by law enforcement compared to any other group in the nation), or are a newly arrived here and trying to understand how to move- and survive- in this crazy system, #blacklivesmatter represents an opening to be heard and seen. #blacklivesmatter represents a collective demand for the human right to live without the threat of racial violence or hatred, and the right to resist in the face of it.
Some of us have multiple (or different) points of entry into the matrix of oppression. How we engage resistance will be different as a consequence. But we must engage.
The media prefers to demonize and dehumanize black people live and direct, and keep the other "others" barely visible so that there is no place to cultivate solidarity. We cannot accept this. Nor can we accept the mainstream narrative that strives to fragment us, and strip us all of our humanity. Let's learn from our history.
The media prefers to demonize and dehumanize black people live and direct, and keep the other "others" barely visible so that there is no place to cultivate solidarity. We cannot accept this. Nor can we accept the mainstream narrative that strives to fragment us, and strip us all of our humanity. Let's learn from our history.
The Black Panthers gave African descendants in the United States the call to black pride and Black Power. They also gave black people an inextricable bond with every oppressed and marginalized group across the planet. The Third Worldist platform of the Black Panthers was shared with the Young Lords, Brown Berets, and American Indian Movement (AIM), among others, driving a vision to liberate all oppressed people. Together.
Let us imagine that people crying out #brownlivesmatter, #nativelivesmatter, or simply trying to connect with #blacklivesmatter at this critical time are not trying to take anything from black people or minimize African-American’s long history of oppression- and resistance- in this country. Let us imagine simply, that they see themselves in the streams of blood and parade of black and brown bodies in this macabre carnival. And let us remember that this is not the first time in our history that we have been called to stand- and fight- together. No matter which struggle carries your blood, your sweat, or your love, #blacklivesmatter.
Let us imagine that people crying out #brownlivesmatter, #nativelivesmatter, or simply trying to connect with #blacklivesmatter at this critical time are not trying to take anything from black people or minimize African-American’s long history of oppression- and resistance- in this country. Let us imagine simply, that they see themselves in the streams of blood and parade of black and brown bodies in this macabre carnival. And let us remember that this is not the first time in our history that we have been called to stand- and fight- together. No matter which struggle carries your blood, your sweat, or your love, #blacklivesmatter.
